King James Version
Micah
Micah in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of Micah: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Micah the Morasthite, from Judah. Critical scholars often see later additions in the hopeful chapters. |
|---|---|
| Date | About 735–700 BC in one survey. |
| Place written | Judah. Moresheth is in the Shephelah, southwest of Jerusalem, in modern Israel. |
| Genre | Prophecy of judgment and hope. |
| Chapters | 7 |
| Verses | 105 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | Micah 6:8Micah 6:8 · King James VersionHe hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?Micah 6:8 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
Micah 1:1Micah 1:1 · King James VersionThe word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Micah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) names Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Jeremiah 26:18Jeremiah 26:18 · King James VersionMicah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
Jeremiah 26:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source quotes him by name. The Twelve were collected, per the Talmud, by the men of the Great Assembly. (2)
Who It Is Not
Micaiah son of Imlah, in 1 Kings 22, is a different prophet.
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives 735–700 BC. (5)
Audience and Setting
Judah and Samaria. The purpose is to denounce injustice and promise a ruler from Bethlehem.
Rulers at the Time
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. Reign dates were not checked for this essay and are omitted.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Judgment | Micah 1–3 |
| Hope | Micah 4–5 |
| Covenant lawsuit and hope | Micah 6–7 |
| Composition | 735–700 BC in one survey. (5) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Moresheth | Probably Tel Goded, near Beit Guvrin, Israel. | Micah 1:1Micah 1:1 · King James VersionThe word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.Micah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Bethlehem Ephratah | Bethlehem, West Bank. | Micah 5:2Micah 5:2 · King James VersionBut thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.Micah 5:2 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
Micah 1–3 announce judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem. Micah 4–5 promise the mountain of the Lord and a ruler from Bethlehem. Micah 6–7 bring God’s case against his people and close with pardon.
Key Themes
Justice, mercy, humility in Micah 6:8Micah 6:8 · King James VersionHe hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Micah 6:8 · King James VersionOpen the Source. God who pardons in Micah 7:18Micah 7:18 · King James VersionWho is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Micah 7:18 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
The relation of Micah 4:1–3Micah 4:1–3 · King James Version4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Micah 4:1–3 · King James VersionOpen the Source to Isaiah 2:2–4Isaiah 2:2–4 · King James Version2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:2–4 · King James VersionOpen the Source is debated, since the passages are nearly identical.
How the Book Points to Christ
Micah 5:2Micah 5:2 · King James VersionBut thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2 · King James VersionOpen the Source promises a ruler from Bethlehem whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Matthew 2:6Matthew 2:6 · King James VersionAnd thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Matthew 2:6 · King James VersionOpen the Source applies it to Jesus’ birth. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
The Twelve are among the books found at Qumran. (6)
Canon Reception
Received with the Twelve. (4) (3)
Further Reading
References
- Book of Micah, 1:1Micah 1:1 · King James Version
The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Micah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - Festal Letter 39, 39.4–5 (Athanasius of Alexandria, AD 367, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 4, on New Advent. The letter lists twenty-two Old Testament books and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and places Esther among books to be read rather than in the canon.)
- When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, Micah (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives Micah as 735–700 BC. It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.